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Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Charlotte, N.C. is smarter than New York City

Unlike the New York Times, which regularly sends gullible rubes out to write travel brochure fodder about Portlandia, a TV station from Carolina actually assigned a reporter who took a balanced look at our city's streetcar madness.

Comments (16)

It's not just a street car. It's like molasses poured into the body politic. It is or becomes so large that it begins to support a government class that will lie, cheat, and do whatever necessary to keep laying track. It is perhaps the worst thing to hit a once pleasant city. It's Mussolini's trains. But these don't run on time, or come in at cost.

Endless tax credits and other abatements did, along with the sudden availability of dozens of acres of land with the promise of free government money to develop the land by building streets and sidewalks and at least one city owned parking garage.

The streetcar was just the icing on top of the already rich chocolate cake.

Pearl District urban renewal increased density FAR on average from 2:1 to 8:1 (four times), and increased heights from an average of 35 ft to 125 ft.(3.7 times)

Most any property owner/developer who has their property increased by these amounts, plus all the endless subsidies attached would build.

To let Charlotte be mislead that streetcars are the instrumental reason for development is hypocrisy. It's as bad as Mayor Katz proclaiming that after neighborhood presentations concerning North Macadam URA showing many tall buildings, that "it's all an exaggeration, there will maybe be up to three tall buildings, right Planning Staff? "Yes", said the staff.

It's the opposite. We've had enough exaggerations from the Politicians, Bureaucrats and Planners.

Erik H. makes excellent points...Those seeking information in Charlotte should be made aware that other initiatives, other than streetcars, were primarily responsible for the masses of property development.

The streetcars are indeed icing....high cost, fattening, and entirely extraneous which, with the opportunity costs (those things foregone because of the investment in crappy streetcars), makes them even worse. Just...just think...we could have invested in more sensitivity training for the thugs who pass as police officers in this city.

The city is not restricting density, they are promoting it and in some cases if people want to build with less density, the city apparently has codes of a minimum density requirement.
My thought is not to eliminate codes, but go back to years ago before Katz/Hales and get those good codes for our livability back in place. Hales knows exactly what he did, if he has matured and realized some errors of his early vision, who better in a position to put those codes back. But alas, he may be into smart growth for life, that is for others. I don't think he has a six story complex or density on his street. It is too late for some areas, but why continue on with those negative code changes of extreme density that people don't want? The smart growth folks shouldn't be the only ones considered when decisions are made. I think we have had enough of Metro dictates in our area.
Words are so deceptive, smart growth being one. I wonder if deception was in mind when the term was coined?

It is so like the streetcar mafia to spin the facts and claim that “the system led to $4 billion worth of investment near the tracks, including 10,000 housing units.” What was not said is that a considerable amount of additional taxpayer funded subsidies at the expense of other public services and long term debt were expended to leverage the streetcar claimed investment. Most of that propped up investment would have happened with or without the streetcar.